The Future of Atlanta... (real estate, apartment, leasing)

[crystalblue]

Horizon: Atlanta in 2057: We face serious choices for future | ajc.com (broken link)

Horizon: Atlanta in 2057: We face serious choices for future

too bad ideas are plentiful, and political will is lacking...

[K'ledgeBldr]

Lets see if we make it pass 2012 first.

[Britishintown]

According to popular opinion, it is going to become a desert wasteland with the general population taking on the appearance of the cast of extra's from the Mad Max movies, while the rest of America lives on in blissful ignorance.

[atlantagreg30127]

Atlanta is one of those cities that are "beyond repair". If some of the measures they're talking about NOW were started about 10 years ago, then some improvement would be on the horizon. However, they keep talking and talking about things that "need" to be done, but little is actually being done.

We suffer from splintered leaders throughout the metro area who really have no interest in working and compromise with other leaders nearby, and quite frankly, most of whom don't have enough common sense to light up a 5 watt light bulb.

On top of that we continue to add around 55,000+ people to the metro area each and every year. That's a medium-sized city, every year, moving here. Very few areas are putting any building restrictions in place to help curb this since the above mentioned officials are personal friends or relatives to so many developers. There will be very few additional restrictions put into place and they will not try to curb the number of new residents.

Our future: Look at L.A. now - this is us in 10 more years or so. We're not that far off now overall, well, minus the ocean and Hollywood studios. So we'll have the sprawl and traffic of L.A., the crime of old New Orleans, and as the climate changes, the humidity and bugs of Florida. Yeehaw.

Sorry for the doom and gloom, but every year the media focuses on these "how to fix Atlanta" stories, when in fact, it's beyond repair and we simply just have to accept that as fact. Some problems are too large to fix, and we've past the manageable stage.

[Vampgrrl]

It is hard to see how to fix Atlanta. It's impossible to undo roads and eliminate tract housing, and it's nearly impossible to curtail the urban sprawl.

When I was back in ATL last month coming from New Orleans, I felt like it took FOREVER to get anywhere in town, and there are little alternatives.
Communities aren't walkable, mass transit sucks and the typical suburban housing still sits so far outside of town nothing is easy to get to; never fear however everyone is leasing a car they cannot afford to drive, that gets 10 MPG....

It breaks my heart since I'm from Atlanta, but the metro Atlanta does EVERYTHING wrong.
(So does New Orleans but it does have the benefit of a higher density population, and walkable communities)

[crystalblue]

well, you COULD get rid of sprawl, but politicians wouldnt dream of it

add a 100k or more fee PER HOUSE thats single family detached. use those fees to build up transit in the more urban areas.

COULD be dont, but wont.

[backfist]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

Atlanta is one of those cities that are "beyond repair". If some of the measures they're talking about NOW were started about 10 years ago, then some improvement would be on the horizon. However, they keep talking and talking about things that "need" to be done, but little is actually being done.

We suffer from splintered leaders throughout the metro area who really have no interest in working and compromise with other leaders nearby, and quite frankly, most of whom don't have enough common sense to light up a 5 watt light bulb.

On top of that we continue to add around 55,000+ people to the metro area each and every year. That's a medium-sized city, every year, moving here. Very few areas are putting any building restrictions in place to help curb this since the above mentioned officials are personal friends or relatives to so many developers. There will be very few additional restrictions put into place and they will not try to curb the number of new residents.

Our future: Look at L.A. now - this is us in 10 more years or so. We're not that far off now overall, well, minus the ocean and Hollywood studios. So we'll have the sprawl and traffic of L.A., the crime of old New Orleans, and as the climate changes, the humidity and bugs of Florida. Yeehaw.

Sorry for the doom and gloom, but every year the media focuses on these "how to fix Atlanta" stories, when in fact, it's beyond repair and we simply just have to accept that as fact. Some problems are too large to fix, and we've past the manageable stage.

Sounds a little gloomy, but pretty close to true. Sprawl should have been put in check about 7 years ago. Mass transit such as high speed heavy rail should have been hubbed hear already. Conservation of water and other resources should be as institutional as putting your money in a bank.

None of these things have been or will be done because of politicking for politics' sake. What's worse is that none of these things will come to be because we the voters continue to elect and re-elect and re-re-elect the same tired, useless, do-nothing politicians.

[meadgrad]

from the article it sounds like the construction industry is the largest industry driving Atlanta's growth...sound right? if it is, and growth slows or stops, the city may be heading the way of Detroit (which is a far far FAR more livable city than Atlanta could ever be, and by that I mean the layout of the city, etc) which declined due to a one horse economy...and who are we kidding...unions too.

I do think Atlanta and its sprawl is a very tuff thing to break. Think about it...Atlanta is half the size of L.A. and has about the same traffic problem...what will happen when the city IS the size of L.A.?? Congestion will be off the charts!

makes me want to buy a lot of in town real estate, we may find that sprawl (not a natural feature like most cities) will urbanize atlanta...if that makes sence, due to people not wanting to waste their life commuting.

[backfist]

makes me want to buy a lot of in town real estate, we may find that sprawl (not a natural feature like most cities) will urbanize atlanta...if that makes sence, due to people not wanting to waste their life commuting.

Doubt it. People are commuting 3.5 and 4 hours a day as it is. And they'll commute even longer if they have to.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by backfist

Doubt it. People are commuting 3.5 and 4 hours a day as it is. And they'll commute even longer if they have to.

I agree. As a matter of fact, you'll see a trend start here that has happened in L.A. as well as NYC a while ago: The person(s) who have to commute downtown from the burbs will actually rent a small studio apartment intown close to their office, live in the city during the weekdays, and then go "home" to the burbs for the weekends. Atlanta will be the next place to adopt this trend.